Tomas Tatar would be having an outstanding American Hockey League rookie campaign if he were a 20-year-old. The fact that he is just 18 is what makes his early success as a pro that much more remarkable.

After an outstanding first half with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Red Wings Central has elevated Tatar to No. 1 in its mid-season prospect ranking. The 5-foot-10, 179-pound winger simply has too much going for him, with all the tools to be an impact scoring-line player for the Red Wings five years from now.

“Tatar’s been a pleasant surprise,” acknowledged Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill. “We didn’t know how he’d hold up being a young kid (playing pro instead of junior) but he hasn’t missed a beat.”

Tomas Tatar has 21 points in 30 games as an AHL rookie and could be a scoring-line player in Detroit in a half-decade or sooner.

Tatar, who has 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 30 games as the youngest player in the AHL, has been compared by some scouts to Jiri Hudler, although his speed and quickness make him more dynamic.

Bumped from the No. 1 spot is defenceman Jakub Kindl, who still has plenty of promise as a top-four NHL defender and remains a lock to crack the Red Wings’ roster next season with his new three-year contract.

While a strong argument could be made that Kindl is the Red Wings’ No. 1 prospect — and many within the organization would probably make it — RWC expected the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Czech to cut down on mistakes in his own zone, assert himself more physically, and contribute more offensively.

It’s a close call between the two, but Tatar gets the nod from RWC because his upside is on par with Kindl’s without as many question marks.

Here’s a look at the rest of the ranking.

3. Brendan Smith (+1), D, Wisconsin (NCAA). The upside on Smith is sky-high and he’s taken his game to another level. It would be a shock if the Red Wings don’t get him into the pros in 2009-10 to develop his defensive game.

4. Thomas McCollum (-2), G, Grand Rapids (AHL). It’s been a rocky rookie pro campaign for McCollum, but don’t write him off. He’s big, athletic and technically sound, and most goaltenders his age are still playing junior hockey.

5. Gustav Nyquist (+3), F, Maine (NCAA). Nyquist continues to assert himself as a dominant scorer in college. He’s still small and slight, but so was Henrik Zetterberg at one time. The stronger he gets, the better he’ll get.

6. Landon Ferraro (-1), F, Red Deer (WHL). Injuries have robbed Ferraro of what might have been a big offensive season and a spot on the Canadian world junior team. He dips slightly but remains a terrific prospect.

7. Jan Mursak (+8), F, Grand Rapids (AHL). It’s not often RWC boosts a player so many spots, but Mursak started finding the net out of the blue. He’s a scorer who’s finally scoring and the Red Wings are taking note.

8. Cory Emmerton (-2), F, Grand Rapids (AHL). Emmerton has excellent two-way tools but needs to be more consistent to move himself up the list. Some games, he shows his NHL ability. Others, he blends in.

9. Joakim Andersson (-2), F, Frolunda (SWE). Andersson is an extremely solid two-way presence in the Swedish Elite League, but his offensive numbers have been slow to follow. He needs more ice time to fully break out.

10. Mattias Ritola (–), F, Grand Rapids (AHL). The skilled Swede showed flashes in his five-game stint with the Red Wings and looks like he can play in the NHL. What’s still not clear is if there’s a role to suit his skillset.

11. Brian Lashoff (+2), D, Kingston (OHL). Lashoff’s game is made for the pros and he’s knocking on the door to get into the top 10.

12. Andrej Nestrasil (-3), F, Victoriaville (QMJHL). He’s struggled lately and slipped from the top 10, but RWC expects him to rise again.

any stat on how many pp goals have been scored against when he's on the PK?

Unfortunately I don't have access to those stats. They definitely aren't on the NHL.com site. I know they do exist because Bruce MacLeod has did the statistical analysis of individual players on the PK earlier in the year.

Maybe not to the same extent, but he reminds me alot of Dan Cleary when he got here. He plays and skates hard every shift and chips in with the odd point.

Just something positive to look at from this year so far. Mr. Miller may have found a home in Detroit like so many players that just need a coach to give them a role.

Yeah he's been a pleasant surprise. His stats would average out to a 14g 10a 24pt season over a full 82 games, which is excellent for a 4th liner.

Here are some more key stats:

Hits: 36 in 17 games (avg ~2 per game) <-- Only Helm, Eaves and Abdelkader have a better average among forwardsBlocks: 6 in 17 games (should be averaging more. I'd like to see at least 1 per game, although no one else on the team averages 1 block per game, so maybe that's unrealistic)

Just heard his interview with the Fan 960 Calgary (via their online player). That man was a warrior out there and his body got worn down like that of a warrior. Sounds like he suffered from the same kind of stuff as Holmstrom.